SB Nation - Robert Griffin III

Big 12 Cob of the Week: Missouri's Defense, KSU Fans And Texas A&M's Hopes... All Fading

Cobby — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 14:12:54 -0000

More photos » by JACK DEMPSEY - AP

Photo Caption Contest!!!!!

What a week in the Big 12! An odd week in that neither Nebraska or Colorado got nominated for Cobs, perhaps setting up a monumental showdown at the end of the season where Nebraska must win in Boulder to win the Big 12 North or lose it to some other less worthy team.

What is going on in the photo above? Are we witnessing the joyous grasp of victory, or is there fraternization going on within the Buffs football team? Caption that photo in the comments section!

Husker Mike:

I'm going with Missouri's defense. Iowa State shut out Baylor until late in the game. Nebraska's true freshman quarterback threw a pick-6 to get Baylor on the scoreboard.

But all of a sudden Baylor scores 40, and Missouri allows true freshman quarterback Nick Florence to set a Baylor school record 427 yards passing.

Baylor scores 40 ... in Columbia ... without Robert Griffin???

Jew:

KSU fans are bad family members. With Bill Snyder coming back the season was seemingly to be a year-long welcome back tour, called the "K-State Family Reunion" but it seems that KSU fan can't be bothered with family. K-State as you may have heard leads the B12 North. Last Saturday this league leading team played against the hated rival Kansas in the Sunflower Showdown.

Ron Prince had been unable to beat Kansas, ever. It would seem to be a big deal. So where were the Purple fans? Saturday in Manhattan was beautiful, sunny, high 60's, no wind, but the announced attendance in the Bill Synder Family Stadium was only 48,306 (Capacity is 52,200). You have something better to do Cat Fans? And where were you Jawhawk fans? Too busy defacing property in Manhattan?

Corn Blight:

Oh... Aggies, Aggies, Aggies. You lose to Colorado. A loss that crushed your bowl dreams and has somehow given the Buff faithful hope? How could you be so cruel?

Poll

Your Vote for the Big 12 Cob of the Week?

Missouri's defensive collapse against Baylor

56 votes

KSU Fans - Bill Snyder's rebirth has lead to them leading the Big 12 North and they don't bother to show up

47 votes

Texas A&M - for losing to Colorado

23 votes

126 votes | Poll has closed

Revisiting Baylor

Husker Mike — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:53:20 -0000

More photos » by Rod Aydelotte - AP

When Robert Griffin tore his ACL against Northwestern State last month, it also tore apart the dreams of a breakthrough season for the Bears. (AP Photo/Waco Tribune Herald, Rod Aydelotte)

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Baylor certainly started season on the right note, going 3-1 in the non-conference schedule including a 24-21 upset of Wake Forest in the season opener. But then the Bears took a turn for the worst when Robert Griffin tore his ACL. This month, Baylor has only scored 24 points in three games, a number that looks unlikely to change much with the Blackshirts coming for a visit this weekend.

It's not just the loss of Robert Griffin that has "da Bearsh" reeling. Running back Jay Finley has been injured along with defensive tackle Phil Taylor. In that light, it might seem irrelevant to look at our season preview of Baylor, but let's review it again.

During the first twelve years of the Big XII, Baylor established themselves as the doormat of the conference in football. Some even suggested that Baylor be removed from the Big XII, feeling it was hopeless for the Bears to ever be able to compete. Certainly it's unclear whether Baylor would have ever been invited to join the Big XII if it wasn't for the efforts former Texas governor (and Baylor alumn) Ann Richards. But a funny thing happened in 2008. Baylor football showed signs of life.

Baylor hired former Houston coach Art Briles to take over for Guy Morriss, and convinced his prized recruit, quarterback Robert Griffin to sign with the Bears. The season started in typical Baylor fashion, losing 41-13 to Baylor. But two weeks later, the Bears caught the notice of the nation by walloping Washington State 45-17 as Robert Griffin ran for 217 yards. Baylor would go on to finish 4-8 and break out of the Big XII doghouse by defeating Iowa State and Texas A&M rather handily. From that squad, the Bears return 18 starters in 2009; a scary proposition for the rest of the conference.

Robert Griffin returns at quarterback after a stellar true freshman season, being named the Big XII offensive freshman of the year. A dual threat wizard, he rushed for 843 yards and 13 touchdowns, and threw for 2091 yards, 15 touchdowns, and only three interceptions. He set an NCAA freshman record by throwing 209 passes in a row without an interception, nearly breaking the Big XII mark of 213. That's downright scary. Then consider his speed: he's a legitimate track star who hopes to run in the 2012 London Olympics.

That's freaky scary. I guess for Nebraska's sake, it's probably better to have Baylor on the schedule for Griffin's freshman and sophomore seasons, as opposed to his junior and senior seasons.

But Baylor isn't a one-trick pony; running back Jay Finley did outrush Griffin last season, adding seven touchdowns to the mix. He'll ensure balance in the Bears offense for his junior season. Griffin's primary targets in the passing game will be sophomore Kendall Wright, with 649 yards and five touchdowns last season, and senior David Gettis, a former track star in his own right.

Up front, the Bears return two starters, senior right guard James Barnard and senior center J.D. Walton. They'll miss all-American left tackle Jason Smith, who was drafted by the St. Louis Rams with the #2 pick this spring. Two junior college transfers will take over at tackle, junior right tackle Marquis Franklin and junior left tackle Danny Watkins. Watkins is a 24 year old Canadian who took up football a couple of years ago and became a junior college all-American.

If you were paying attention to the preseason all-Big XII teams, you might have been surprised that Baylor had more first team selections than Nebraska did. Here's the scary thing: they're all on defense. Up front, the Bears will be led by senior defensive end Jason Lamb and junior defensive tackle Phil Taylor. Taylor, who transferred from Penn State after getting into an on-campus fight, was named preseason newcomer of the year.

All three linebackers return, including all-Big XII senior middle linebacker Joe Pawelek, who had 128 tackles and six interceptions last season. Bookmarking Pawelek are the Antonios: senior Antonio Jones and junior Antonio Johnson.

In the secondary, two part time starters return at cornerback in juniors Antareis Bryan and Tim Atchison, but the star is senior all-Big XII safety Jordan Lake, who merely added 97 tackles and three interceptions last season. Senior Jeremy Williams will man the other safety spot.

Last year's Baylor squad got people's attention by scaring Connecticut, Nebraska, and Missouri last season. Just before Thanksgiving, the Bears beat A&M, thus ensuring that A&M can now be referred to as the "new Baylor" of the Big XII, since the Bears are no longer the conference doormat. This year, they get UConn and the Huskers at home. The schedule sets up a scary Halloween matchup for the Huskers with the Bears, who might finally be shaking the "Bad News Bears" reputation this season.

Poll

What happens when the Huskers visit Baylor on Halloween?

14%

The Bears go down in flames, much like David Koresh's compound

47 votes

54%

Just like last year, the Huskers find a way to win this game

177 votes

19%

Baylor finally breaks through and wins a close one

65 votes

11%

Baylor wins in a blowout, meaning that every Big XII team has embarrased Nebraska this decade.

37 votes

326 votes | Poll has closed

In Perspective: Further Comparisons Between Nebraska and Baylor

Jon Johnston — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 12:30:23 -0000

More photos » by Dave Weaver - AP

Perhaps this week it'll be all smiles?

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Let's start out with some good news - Baylor has forced only one turnover in their Big 12 games this season! Rather than getting all negative with that "they haven't faced our offense yet", let's try to keep our positive energy up. A good season is still in sight, and it can easily begin this weekend against the Bears.

I mentioned the Bear's offensive woes in the "Under the Hood" article earlier, but Baylor has only scored 24 points in their three Big 12 games. Digging deeper, it's worthy to note that two of their three touchdowns were scored in the fourth quarters of their games after their opponents had built sizable leads, in other words, in 'garbage' time.

Baylor has lost 22 consecutive games when trailing by halftime, so it behooves the Husker offense to get rolling and score some points early.

	Nebraska		Baylor
	National	Big 12	National	Big 12
3rd Down Conversions	30	3	96	11
Red Zone Conversions (Score %)	96	11	87	12

Turnover Margin	96	10	64	8
Sacks	31	6	79	11
Tackles for Loss	37	5	80	12
Sacks Allowed	33	4	39	6
Punting (Avg)	76	7	8	2
Punt Returns	49	6	77	10
Kickoff Returns	57	6	42	5
Penalties (Yds/G)	94	5	100	6

As you might have expected, Nebraska dropped by quite a bit since last week in two key categories:

- From 59th to 96th nationally in red zone scoring percentage

- From 37th to 96th nationally in turnover margin, from fourth to tenth in the Big 12.

Good News:

- Nebraska went from 104th to 94th nationally in penalties. That's a nice improvement and one could hope a sign that the offensive line has gotten it together.

Otherwise:

- Notice the horrid third-down conversion for Baylor. On the surface their running game doesn't look horrendous, but against Big 12 opponents, they're rushing for only 46 yards per game with a 2.42 yard per carry average . Their top running back, Jay Finley, has been injured and they're obviously missing Robert Griffin. Still, I wouldn't expect their luck to get any better against the Husker defensive line.

- Surprisingly, the Bears have done better throwing the ball against Big 12 conference defenses, where they've averaged 259.3 yards per game, better than their 197 yard per game average against non-conference teams. This despite the fact that their pass efficiency rating has dropped from 147.12 to 106.45. This, again, is due to Griffin's absence.

- Neither teams has been dazzling in the return department, although Niles Paul is 38th nationally in punt return average and 51st nationally in kickoff returns. Baylor's Terrence Williams is 35th nationally. Neither team has scored on returns.

- Baylor's Derek Epperson is third nationally in punting average with a 46.09 yards per punt average, while Alex Henery is 63rd with 40.00 yards per punt. Given Nebraska's offensive problems, field position could play a key role in this game.

- Bottom line - there's absolutely no reason Nebraska doesn't win this game. The Bears shouldn't be able to do much offensively, and our offense should be able to move the ball against their defense. As it is in most years with Baylor, they have some playmakers, but not enough depth on either side of the ball to stop us for four quarters.

- All of the paragraph can be tossed if Nebraska continues to stop ourselves.

All statistics are courtesy of cfbstats.com.

Cornhuskers vs Bears preview

Under the Hood: Nebraska Cornhuskers vs Baylor Bears Statistical Comparison

Jon Johnston — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:45:17 -0000

More photos » by Sue Ogrocki - AP

Replace the Oklahoma uniforms with Nebraska's and we should see similar photos of Baylor freshman quarterback Nick Florence come next week.

Browse more photos »

First Iowa State, now Baylor. When you see them listed on the schedule, as a Husker fan you don't think twice about marking them down as easy wins. Last week's loss to Iowa State should have made it clear - there are no easy wins this season. Not with an offense that's sputtering as badly as the Huskers.

Before the season started, both Husker Mike and I pointed to the Baylor game as a potential loss on the road. I can't speak for Mike, but a lot of my reasoning had to do with Baylor phenom quarterback Robert Griffin. Griffin is an incredible athlete, but he was lost for the season after suffering a knee injury in a body bag game (if such a thing exists for Baylor) against Northwestern State.

If that weren't enough, Baylor senior backup quarterback Blake Szymanski suffered a shoulder injury in the same game. He aggravated the should injury last week against Oklahoma State, and if he can't go, the Bears will start freshman Nick Florence. Either way, Nebraska will face another backup quarterback, and as ESPN's Tim Griffin recently pointed out, we haven't exactly done well against backups.

Offensive Comparisons

	Nebraska	Baylor
Rush YPG	146.29 (61/6)	136.86 (77/9)
Rush YPC	4.63 (31/3)	4.78 (24/2)
Rush TDS	12 (50/8)	12 (50/8)

Pass YPG	235.1 (42/7)	223.7 (53/9)
Pass YPA	7.2 (54/7)	6.8 (77/10)
Pass TDS	12 (42/8)	9 (74/11)
Pass Efficiency	130.82 (56/7)	124.68 (73/10)

Total Offense	381.4 (58/8)	355.6 (75/11)

Defensive Comparisons

	Nebraska	Baylor
Rush YPG	100.86 (20/6)	184.43 (100/12)
Rush YPC	2.77 (11/3)	4.32 (86/12)
Rush TDS	5 (15/3)	11 (74/9)

Pass YPG	164.1 (13/1)	216.7 (63/4)
Pass YPA	5.5 (11/3)	6.2 (28/5)
Pass TDS	3 (2/1)	8 (30/4)

Total Defense	265.0 (7/3)	401.1 (91/11)
Scoring Defense	11.4 (4/2)	24.3 (66/10)

Opponent Positional Rank

Total Offense Rank	Nebraska Opponent	Total Defense Rank	Total Offense Rank	Baylor	Total Defense Rank
10	Florida Atlantic	113	59	Wake Forest	67
84	Arkansas State	42	53	Connecticut	37
60	@Virginia Tech	31	xx	Northwestern State	xx
83	UL-Lafayette	103	100	Kent State	61
62	@Missouri	52	29	Oklahoma	6
4	Texas Tech	73	55	Iowa State	83
55	Iowa State	83	30	Oklahoma State	56
51.14	Average	71	54.33	Average	51.67

Northwestern State is FCS, so they're not included in statistics.

- Nebraska clearly has an offensive edge over Baylor's defense. Given that, you'd expect that Nebraska's offense should be able to move the ball against the Bears.

- Alas the Huskers (and the fan base) have been snake bitten - if the offense is going to move the ball, clearly a playmaker or two must emerge. Had Niles Paul made it into the end zone, giving Nebraska 13 TDs through the air, they'd have risen to a tie for 35th in the nation instead of 42nd. Had Roy Helu and Dontrayevous Robinson not fumbled and made it to the end zone (for two more TDs), the Huskers would be tied at 32nd instead of 50th. Both would seem at the least a little more impressive.

- Nebraska's defense obviously has a stated edge against the Bears, as they will against every offense we'll see the rest of the regular season.

- Nebraska's yard per carry on the ground isn't as miserable as their rushing average. Does that mean we should be rushing the ball more? I would say yes - and it isn't just a feeling that Shawn Watson wants a passing game.

- Both teams are on losing streaks, with Nebraska having lost their last two to Texas Tech and Iowa State at home, while scoring only 17 points. The Bears have lost their last three at Oklahoma, at Iowa State and to Oklahoma State, while scoring a combined 24 points.

- Stating the obvious - this game will be won by the team whose offense sucks the least. Given how good Nebraska's defense is - it darned well better be Baylor.

- Thoughts?

Mizzou Links, 10-1-09

Bill C. — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 10:47:43 -0000

Nebraska Links!

PowerMizzou: Powered Up: A Week One Playoff
SI (Stewart Mandel): Mailbag
I don't have a question, just a comment. I'm a diehard Husker, but I'm pretty disappointed for Baylor losing Robert Griffin. I was really looking forward to seeing NU go against Baylor this year, and long-term, Baylor getting that program back on track. I'm sure they must be devastated. -- Andy Morrison, San Diego

This is why Nebraska fans are widely regarded as the classiest in the country.

Stu, Stu, Stu...you can annoy us with the "classiest in the country" thing (as has been explained a thousand times, it's easy to be classy about an opponent you've defeated 116 straight times...they're not quite as classy when they're getting their butts beat), that's fine. But do NOT steal our "mourning Hot Tub's loss" thunder. Do NOT. He is Rock M Nation's, not Nebraska's. Hmpf.

SB Nation Big 12 Roundtable -- Week 5

TB — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 02:19:54 -0000

via assets.sbnation.com

Roundtable is back and, as usual, it's hosted by Rock M Nation.

Is it time for the Big 12 to collectively pour one out for the departure of Baylor quarterback Robert "Hot Tub" Griffin? Even if your team benefits from his injury, are you sad to see one of the conference's premier playmakers done for the season?

BracketCat: Well, we don't play them this year, so I feel nothing but bad for the Bad News Bears. Between this and the UConn loss, their chances for a bowl berth appear to be on life support. Meanwhile, Art Briles' old team, Houston, is on a tear. Now that he sees how long the road to respectability may be at Baylor, think he has some regrets? At any rate, it sucks for Griffin, who already was suffering a sophomore slump and needs more playing time in order to improve, but not may not get it due to the technicalities of the medical-redshirt system. And it sucks for the Big 12, which already has underachieved in most respects and now is without one of its top playmakers.

Panjandrum: Kansas State doesn't play Baylor this year, so yes, I'm sad. If KSU were playing Baylor...I'd be less sad.

TB: Yes, it's absolutely time to pour one out. Personally, I will be pouring out a St. Arnold's for RGIII, as a nod to his Houston roots. K-State doesn't benefit from this at all because we don't play Baylor, and it actually hurts us because this gives the teams in the North who play Baylor a better shot at beating them. Whoa! For a second there, I forgot that we are not in any way, shape, or form going to contend for the North this year. So yeah, the only way it hurts me is that I won't get to watch him play this year, and he is a lot of fun to watch. I just hope this doesn't affect his football and track careers long-term, as he had a bright future in both.

Play the role of Mythbusters for us. If you could dispel one national perception of your team, what would it be?

BracketCat: This one's easy. The dominant Bill Snyder myth is that he always schedules patsies and cupcakes. Point the First: In our prime, we played such teams as Iowa, USC, Cal, Marshall and Fresno State. It wasn't all FCS and Sun Belt teams. Point the Second: We play in the freakin' Big 12. That means a minimum of three Top 25 teams on the schedule every season. Unlike schools in the podunk Big East or ACC, we don't need to schedule a gangbusters non-conference in order to have a decent schedule strength. Point the Third: EVERYONE freakin' does it now. Kansas built an entire program on scheduling crappy teams and using those four free wins to get to bowl games, all while Ron Prince was building tearing down K-State's foundation by agreeing to televised road losses versus Louisville, Auburn, Louisiana and UCLA.

Panjandrum: Honestly, I'd like to dispel the notion that KSU has some sort of lower than average NCAA standard that allows JUCO players and other academically challenged players to qualify. KSU complies with the NCAA, Big 12, and Kansas Board of Regents in terms of requirements. We don't do anything special to get kids qualified. If they qualify per the NCAA, they can get in here. I just think KSU takes more chances on these kids than other schools are willing to take, therefore, it seems like we get more academically challenged kids. Of course we do...we just offer more of them.

TB: It gets tiring to see various iterations of this theme: "Boy, K-State is bad, I bet Snyder wishes he had stayed retired!" Not because they say we are bad, because we are, but because it completely misses the boat. As bad as we are this year, it doesn't even compare to Snyder's first-first year, 1989. We hadn't won a game in three years and were thrilled when we beat a terrible North Texas team. Clearly, we are a terrible team this year, but we've won two games at this point and have at least hung around in the other two. Granted, we may have seen our last victory of the season, but rest assured that Bill Snyder has seen worse. Much, much worse.

Give us the name of one player on each side of the ball on your team that everyone else in the conference may not know about or fully appreciate.

BracketCat: I think by now people know who Brandon Banks is, but it's possible people still aren't aware of the phenomenon that is Daniel Thomas. He's one of the conference's leading rushers, but you don't hear his name mentioned with others, such as Helu, Sharp, Hunter, Murray, Scott, Washington and others. At least, not yet. Let's see what he does in conference play, but this guy is a surefire NFL talent. I heard Mike Patrick say the other night that Baron Batch is one of the top three rushers in the league, and that is a joke. Aside from the fact that Texas Tech never runs the damn ball, everything I have seen leads me to believe Helu, Murray and Thomas have the brightest NFL futures, as of right now. Hell, even Alexander Robinson is a better rusher.

For defense, it is without a doubt Tysyn Hartman. He has three interceptions, but has dropped at least two others. He has a recovered fumble. He leads the team in tackles and probably in PBUs, as well. He just makes plays. Might be one of the smartest DBs, with the greatest upside, in the league.

For special teams, I'd go with Corey Adams. He was rated the top long snapper in the nation in his high school class. He has backed it up in 2.25 years of play, as we have had no punts blocked when he was the snapper. Another surefire NFL talent at a position that never gets publicity, but is so crucial in the game of field position.

Panjandrum: Daniel Thomas probably isn't a household name yet because we're playing in relative obscurity right now. However, he is a wildly talented running back that will turn some heads during the conference season. On the defensive side, Tysyn Hartman is putting together a really, really nice season. A lot of the publicity on this defense goes to Josh Moore and Brandon Harold, but Hartman has been very consistent and has surpassed a lot of expectations.

TB: On offense, I guess I'll go with Braden Wilson. I'm going to go against the grain established by my colleagues and eschew Daniel Thomas (because he led the conference in rushing after two games) and Brandon Banks (because he's 5'7", 150 lbs., and took two kicks to the house on Saturday, among other things). So that really leaves me with slim pickings on the offensive side, because there aren't a lot of players to really "appreciate." I'm going with Wilson because, for the first time since 2006, we are actually employing a fullback on offense. Our offensive line isn't great, so Wilson has played a role in Thomas' rushing success.

Defensively, I still don't think Josh Moore gets the credit he's due. I'd put him up against any of the cornerbacks that were hyped for preseason honors and my guess is that he'd more than hold his own.

OU vs. Da U: Who ya' got?

BracketCat: After week one, I thought Miami would win this. But then Virginia Tech exposed a bunch of the Hurricanes' flaws, and Oklahoma hasn't allowed a single point since then. As of now, it looks like Sam Bradford might be able to play, but even if he can't, record-setting backup Landry Jones has proven himself more than capable. Even though this one is in Miami, I like Oklahoma to win. The Sooners know how to win big games like this (at least in the regular season), and I think all the Miami hype was premature. Florida State is overrated and Georgia Tech is one-dimensional, so who are the Hurricanes, really?

Panjandrum: Oklahoma. Miami is overrated...as per usual. That win over FSU doesn't look so hot now.

TB: I'll cheer for almost anyone against a bunch of arrogant pricks who call their school "Tha U." Miami was horrible last weekend against a Virginia Tech team that I still don't think is all that great. Frankly, I think Miami was horribly overrated after the wins they had amassed, given that I don't think Florida State is that good (beat BYU, lost to USF) and Georgia Tech is only fair. Somehow, Miami's offense made Tyrod Taylor look like a Heisman contender, certainly not a feather in anybody's cap.

Give us your Offensive Player of the Week, Defensive Player of the Week, and Storyline of the Week for last week.

BracketCat: Offensive POTW: Iowa State RB Alexander Robinson
More than 100 yards of offense? Check. Multiple touchdowns? Check. First Cyclone with three consecutive 100-yard rushing games since Ennis Haywood in 2000? Check. Led Iowa State to its third win of the season, already one more than they had last season? Check. Winner, winner, chicken dinner.

Defensive POTW: Kansas DB Chris Harris
The Big 12 has given this award to Texas players three weeks running, and while all of them certainly have been deserving, I can't help but think it has something to do with Texas ALWAYS being on TV. So I'm going to break out of the groupthink and award it to Chris Harris, who had 11 solo tackles and four assists, for a total of 15. He also had two tackles for loss and broke up a pass, all crucial plays in a tighter-than-expected 35-28 win over Southern Miss. Not bad for a guy who should have been suspended for the game... but then Kansas might not have won, right?

Special Teams POTW: Kansas State WR Brandon Banks
If you have to ask why, you simply aren't paying attention to college football. All he did was become the first Big 12 player, first K-State player and 11th player ever in the NCAA to return two kickoffs for touchdowns in a single game. He set a bunch of other records, too, but most important, he served notice to the rest of the Big 12 that last year's Offensive Newcomer of the Year has his mojo back.

Storyline: Ann Richards is a dumb bitch. We should have invited Houston, not Baylor, to join the Big 12 back in 1995. Imagine how much bigger our media profile would be in the nation's fourth-largest metropolis.

Panjandrum: Offensive POY: Blaine Gabbert. He played an awesome game against Nevada racking up over 400+ passing yards without a pick. Missouri fans have a LOT to be excited about with this young player.

Defensive POY: I'll go with Chris Harris as well. I like double-digit tackling games against good teams.

TB: Offensive POW: Blaine Gabbert, QB, Missouri. Sorry, I keep defaulting to this guy, but he had another 400+ yard passing game. Jeez.
Defensive POW: Nobody had one of those ridiculous games and the matchups for the most part weren't very good, so I'll make it three in a row and say Chris Harris.
Storyline of the Week: Does it have to be Big 12 related? If not, I'll go with Houston asserting themselves as a possible BCS Buster out of Conference USA (who woulda thunk?). Of course, the Coogs have a tendency to lay eggs at very inopportune times, so I'd keep my eye on their upcoming matchups against UTEP, Southern Miss, and Mississippi State.

Other, more Big 12-centric storylines: Can Texas A&M continue its roll against a decent opponent? Upon whom will God's unfavorable judgment (read: last place in the North) rain in Farmageddon at Arrowhead? Why are there so few games this week?

Power Poll

BracketCat: Even more shakeups this week, but it sure looks like I was ahead of the curve on dropping Baylor like a rock last week.

1. Texas (Still our only national title contender, but has looked shaky at times.)
2. Oklahoma (Better beat Miami to keep this spot, Sooners.)
3. Kansas (Jayhawks drop a spot for nearly losing to both Southern Miss and the Kansas basketball team.)
4. Nebraska (One more dominating shutout like that and Nebraska will be top-ranked in the North. Near win at Virginia Tech gained major cachet this week, too.)
5. Oklahoma State (You're not fooling me, Cowboys. It was only Grambling.)
6. Missouri (Is it just me, or does Mizzou look amazing and terrible on alternating weeks? Doesn't bode well for the Nubbies...)
7. Texas Tech (C'mon, Mike Leach. Run the damn ball when it is working - don't abandon it.)
8. Texas A&M (I still have no idea how good the Aggies actually are. Saturday's game in the Jerrydome should tell us something.)
9. Baylor (With Griffin out, Bears still could sink to No. 12 before it's all said and done.)
10. Iowa State (Don't look now, but Iowa State is starting to look decent. And that Iowa loss is totally understandable now.)
11. Kansas State (A traditional blowout with some halfway decent offense and the return of our return game has me cautiously optimistic we still can win 4-5.)
12. Colorado (About to get ass-pounded by West Virginia, Texas and Kansas in quick succession. Don't look for the Buffs to vacate the basement any time soon.)

Panjandrum: Here's the list. Not a lot of movement.

1. Texas
2. Oklahoma
3. Nebraska
4. Missouri
5. Kansas
6. Oklahoma State
7. Texas Tech
8. Texas A&M
9. Colorado
10. Baylor
11. Iowa State
12. Kansas State

TB:

1. Texas: Until further notice.
2. Oklahoma: Big test in Coral Gables this weekend. I think the Sooners deserve this spot in my rankings, but we won't know for sure until Saturday.
3. Missouri: Defensive concerns barely keep them in this position with Nebraska nipping at their heels, but Lord that offense can be good.
4. Nebraska: The Ragin' Cajuns were led to slaughter in Nebraska's 300th consecutive home sellout. If it had been a little better opponent, Nebraska may have bumped past Mizzou. They'll get their chance to prove they deserve it in 10 days.
5. KU: Gritty home win over Southern Mississippi boosts them past Oklahoma State despite Pokes' big win. Defense looked suspect for a while, but came up big when they needed it. Now the big question is whether the offensive line can protect Todd Reesing and improve the rushing game.
6. Oklahoma State: Big win over Grambling was nice, but...it was Grambling. Impressive note of the day: Cowboys blew out Grambling without Kendall Hunter or Dez Bryant.
7. Texas A&M: Against my better judgment, I'm giving the Aggies a boost despite another win over a ho-hum opponent. We'll see if they're for real in Dallas this weekend.
8. Texas Tech: Given that I believe Houston is a legit opponent, and has now proven it against two Big 12 South teams, I probably shouldn't drop the Red Raiders too much. However, it's clear that the defense isn't quite as improved as we thought after the Texas game, and the rushing stats were compiled against a defensive line giving up 30 lbs. on average.
9. Iowa State: Win over Army means ISU is more than halfway to beating its entire win total under Gene Chizik (who apparently is doing just fine at Auburn, thanks). They can get to 80 percent of that win total on Saturday if they can survive God's Bill Snyder's judgment in Farmageddon at Arrowhead.
10. Colorado: Despite sitting idle this weekend, I'm boosting the Buffs because I think Baylor is done without Robert Griffin.
11. Baylor: Am I being too harsh on the Bears? They still have some good players on defense, but I think the psychological effect of Griffin's loss will rival the loss of his physical abilities.
12. K-State: Big margin of victory over completely overmatched Tennessee Tech team isn't as impressive as it may first appear, given that two of the touchdowns came on kickoff returns. Still, this team is improving, albeit in tiny little increments. A win at Arrowhead, and maybe this team can pick up two or three conference wins. A loss, and we've probably won our final game of the season.

The Big 12 Cob of the Week - Mizzou's Line, Big 12 Schedulers, Robert Griffin's ACL & Mike Leach - The Worst of the Big 12?

Cobby — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 22:52:22 -0000

More photos » by Eric Gay - AP

Mike Leach is focused. Real focused. He's thinking about killing the guy who took "captainleach" on twitter. Keel haul him. Run him through. It doesn't matter.

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So I'm a little behind (pun!) on my posting. CB has been after to me to get in gear, but other than Virginia Tech, it's been hard to get excited about games against Sun Belt teams. Now that the Big 12 is coming up, I'm starting to get excited! It's time for the Big Red to shine and take back the conference!

But before I can start talking about how our Huskers are going to smash the rest of the Big 12 North, we have to deal with this week's "Cob of the Week" nominations. If you haven't been here before (and who hasn't?), we nominate the worst performances in the Big 12 from last week.

They come after this jump line, so keep reading!

Cobby: Mike Leach Master Understands Distraction

Everyone knows Mike Leach likes pirates. He has pirates in his office. He has a pirate parking place. Too bad pirates don't like him though.

Everybody has had that friend when they were young that had to do things different because it attracted attention. Remember how Tommie would blurt out a line of cuss words at lunch for no reason? Everybody thought he had some disease, but no, Tommie just wanted to be noticed. Tommie grew out of it (mostly). Mike Leach didn't.

Now comes news from Leach that players don't need Twitter or Facebook. They cause distraction. They draw attention to the players instead of the team. What they really do is draw attention away from Mike Leach.

Leach said players don't need Twitter or Facebook. He called them "stupid" distractions.

"I think that a guy who plays college football gets enough attention," he said. It's "a bunch of narcissists that want to sit and type stuff about themselves all the time. We'll put mirrors in some of their lockers if that's necessary but they don't have to Twitter."

I guess if anyone could recognize narcissism, it'd be Captain Piratehead himself. (See! A play on Jimmy Buffet's Parrot Heads..... does Tech have a group that call themselves Pirate Heads? I bet they do next week!)

Husker Mike: Missouri's Offensive Line & Big 12 Schedule Makers

Missouri's offensive line would be my candidate. They can't even block teams like Nevada and Bowling Green; how's that going to work against Big XII defenses? Derrick Washington has been rendered helpless by this hapless group; on Friday night against Nevada, he was stuck in neutral almost all game until he busted a long run on his own, shaking off two tacklers in the backfield to triple his yardage totals for the game.

Big XII schedule makers. What a horrible slate of conference games last weekend. 3 FCS teams and two byes on the schedule. Are you guys trying to make us watch baseball on Saturdays?

JLew: Robert Griffin's ACL

It deserves a cob for ruining (potentially) Baylor's season. Hurts bad when it's a team trying to break through without a lot of depth. Oklahoma can deal with Bradford's injury better than Baylor can deal with losing their QB.

Poll

Your vote for this week's Big 12 Cob Of the Week?

Robert Griffin's ACL

46 votes

Missouri's Sucky Offensive Line

41 votes

Big 12 Scheduling (Or Lack Of)

39 votes

Mike Leach, Narcissist and Master of Distraction

71 votes

197 votes | Poll has closed

The State of Oklahoma: OU Travels to Miami

TheElusiveShadow — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 15:00:20 -0000

More photos » by Steve Helber - AP

Jacory Harris would like to forget last Saturday.

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I've been thinking lately that people should start competitions on accurately predicting the Top 25 before the season, similar to how we do NCAA brackets for the March basketball tournament. As last weekend showed, nobody really knows anything. Texas, Florida, and Alabama cruised, but everyone under them went for a wild ride on a wooden raft. Some survived that ride, and others, well, went under. We'll see if they resurface anytime soon.

One of the teams that went down was the Miami Hurricanes, riding high after two impressive wins over Florida State and Georgia Tech. They were #9 Saturday morning, with some arguing they had the best resume through the first three weeks. By Sunday, they had plummeted to #21 in the Coaches Poll and #17 in the AP. Unlike other ranked teams, they did not lose to an unranked foe, with Virginia Tech coming into the game at #11. However, nobody expected the whipping the Hokies gave them, scoring the first 21 points and ultimately finishing with a 24-point victory. While it is possible for Miami to win the rest of their games, the margin by which they lost probably cost them any chance at a national title. Ouch.

Oklahoma, on the other hand, moved right on up the polls... by resting. They probably watched the carnage on TV and stuck their middle fingers out at all the analysts who made fun of them for falling against BYU. Make no mistake, the Sooners are now very much alive, and winning this weekend at Coral Gables may vault them back into the Top 5 if teams ahead of them falter again. The stakes this game are still high, and may even be higher (arguably) than if both teams came in undefeated. If Oklahoma loses one more, they are done as national title contenders. If Miami drops this one at home, they more or less fall off the radar. With the Horns off this week, this would be a good game on which to focus your attention.

Last Week's Fun

While Oklahoma was chilling, Miami was busy crapping the bed against Virginia Tech. I won't spend much time talking about the game; needless to say, despite their assurances to the contrary, the 'Canes were NOT ready for the weather and let turnovers kill them. In fact, the folks over at Gobbler Country seem to think the rain was the player of the game, so to speak. Of course, it didn't help that the Hokies dominated the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball and hammered Miami with Ryan Williams. Oh, and they blocked a punt for a TD, too.

To get an idea what Pouring Rain + Good Pressure does to an offense not prepared for it, let's take a brief look at Miami's high and mighty offense. Before this game, the Hurricanes averaged 465 yards of total offense at 7.27 yards per play. Jacory Harris averaged 328 yards per game at 11.12 yards per attempt, completed 69.5% of his passes including a 20-25 performance against Georgia Tech, and threw for 5 touchdowns to 2 interceptions to earn a passer rating of 184.07. In the pouring rain against V-tech, with his trusty receivers having a bad case of the butterfingers, Harris was an abysmal 9/20 for 150 yards and one interception and a passer rating of 78.4. While Graig Cooper had a decent day running the ball, the 'Canes as a team averaged a terrible 1.74 ypc on the ground after averaging 4.7 against Georgia Tech. Other than their one scoring drive right after halftime, which was the result of a shorter field due to a good kickoff return, Miami was frighteningly bad on offense, gaining an average of 3.5 yards per play as a whole.

Defensively, Miami wasn't that much better. Tyrod Taylor did nothing in the passing game save a 48-yard touchdown, but there was no need for him to; the Hokies ran the ball on Miami, and then ran it again. They piled up 272 yards on 55 carries, and Miami couldn't get a whiff of Ryan Williams at the line of scrimmage and then made things worse by tackling poorly at the second level. It was a sharp difference from their performance against Georgia Tech.

It is difficult to say how much we can take from this. Obviously, everyone has their bad games, and the conditions of the game were not normal. However, I'm not sure how much you can blame getting manhandled at the line of scrimmage on the pouring rain. Maybe it made their jerseys heavier? In any case, Jacory Harris was not good but he didn't get any sort of help from his O-line or his receivers. A very painful day for the 'Canes.

Oklahoma and Miami Key Matchups

And with that, we move on to this week's game, which probably isn't looking nearly as good for Miami as it did a week ago. I'll briefly discuss a few key matchups:

Oklahoma's D-line vs. Miami's O-line

I'll be blunt: If Miami's offensive line plays anything like they did against Virginia Tech, Oklahoma is going to beat them and probably beat them badly. Even given better conditions that will help the passing game, Jacory Harris is going to have a steady diet of Gerald McCoy, Auston English, and Jeremy Beal if that happens again. V-Tech has a good defense, but I would put OU's defensive line over theirs. If OU quickly dominates in this area, Graig Cooper is going to have a rough day and Harris will have an even rougher day.

This unit was identified in the preseason as the weak link to the offense, lacking both experience and depth. Before Saturday, optimism reigned. After Saturday, pessimism "rained" (okay, bad joke). While Virginia Tech only got two sacks, they were on Harris all game. Jake Fox, the senior at left tackle, will have to play well against Oklahoma, and their new guards will have to hold their own against the monster that is Gerald McCoy. Cooper is one of their best players and they have to give him a chance to succeed this week.

Miami's D-line against Oklahoma's O-line

On the flip side, Oklahoma still has questions on their offensive line. They have eliminated some of the mistakes we saw against BYU and changed personnel a bit to try to find a good mix of players. Brody Eldridge, the best center in OU history, moved back to TE while Ben Habern took his spot. Cory Brandon lost his starting job at right tackle with Jarvis Jones sliding over from right guard. To replace Jones at RG, freshman Tyler Evans got the nod. This unit looks improved, but it's hard to judge much from victories over Idaho State and Tulsa. If Miami wants any hope at success, they need to test this line as BYU did.

Miami didn't get any sacks against Virginia Tech, but I don't look too much into that because Taylor only threw nine times. The Hurricanes have some speedy pass rushers that will need to be ready, because Oklahoma will most definitely throw more than that with Bradford or Landry. Still, Oklahoma is not deficient at running the football, and no doubt they saw Virginia Tech's success on the ground against this defense. Miami's defensive line was supposed to be a great strength of this team, and it has not quite lived up to that hype, although to be fair, a couple guys were out against V-Tech. Guys like Allen Bailey and Eric Moncur will need to have big games, among others. Miami has the requisite speed to pass rush; the issue will be in the middle, with an undersized guy in Bailey and a relative disappointment in Marcus Forston, a 2008 Freshman All-American. Forston was not active against V-Tech due to injury, but he did not produce as much as expected the first two games. I am not sure if he will be available against Oklahoma. If not, it doesn't help the situation.

Oklahoma will not run with the same style as Ryan Williams and the Hokies, but with Chris Brown and Demarco Murray, they are capable of doing damage in their own way. Not only that, Oklahoma possesses a much more dangerous passing game, so this line needs to make Landry Jones look like a freshman again or otherwise make Sam Bradford wish he stayed on the bench if he indeed comes back.

Miami's receivers vs. Oklahoma's secondary

Miami's receivers just seem to ooze talent and potential. This unit has speed, size, and big-play capability. Let's take a look at the main guys:

Travis Benjamin: Texas fans, meet Miami's version of D.J. Monroe, except his touches come primarily through the passing game. He stands at 5'10 and weighs a smallish 170 pounds, but boy, he can move it, even rumored to run a sub-4.3 forty. Whether or not you believe that is true, the point is taken: He's got speed and lots of it. The problem, however, is consistency; he was nowhere to be found against Virginia Tech, having zero catches including a drop. He also has not had too much success in the return game. The conditions will be better for him this Saturday, so Miami needs to do a better job finding ways to get the ball in his hands in space.

Aldarius Johnson: Johnson was supposed to be their stud receiver this season and he looks the part, listed as 6'3, 215 pounds and drawing comparisons to some guy named Andre Johnson. Unfortunately, [he pulled his groin against FSU and has been inactive], so right now, he's been a big disappointment, whether or not it's actually his fault. However, if it's time for a breakout game, now is the time to do it.

LaRon Byrd: Another big target who can run downfield, Byrd stands at 6'4 and weighs 215 pounds. He was held without a reception against the Seminoles but he had a big day against Georgia Tech, catching five balls for 83 yards and a score. He had 4 of Harris' 9 completions on Saturday.

Leonard Hankerson: Wait, are these receivers just all the same guy? It looks like it, as Hankerson is also listed at 215 pounds and stands at 6'3. Hankerson brings a lot of experience with him relative to the other receivers, and he is currently leading the team in receiving yards. His ceiling is not as high as the younger guys, but he's dangerous in his own right and provides a bit more consistency.

Dedrick Epps (Tight End): Tired of 6'3-6'4, 215 pounders? Well, here's a 6'4, 250-pound tight end. Epps is a quality player who can both block and catch the ball. He suffered an ACL injury before last year's bowl game and made it back for this season, albeit slightly slowed, but he's had decent production. Considering Oklahoma's troubles against BYU's tight ends, Epps will be a good target to look for.

Verdict: Oklahoma has not seen anything near this receiving corps. Oklahoma's secondary has played well after the BYU game, but even an offensively competent Tulsa has nothing like this. If Oklahoma's defensive line can be held in check, look for big plays from this group against Oklahoma's new safeties and average corners.

Other things to watch for

-Linebacker Sean Spence will need to have a strong game and do a good job of covering and tackling in space for Miami. V-Tech was way too successful on the ground after they cleared the line.

-Oklahoma is hoping that Brandon Caleb continues to step up, but keep an eye on the limited weaponry the Sooners have in the passing game. Miami doesn't have a great secondary, but Oklahoma's receivers aren't all that scary at the moment.

-Special teams. Miami can do some damage in the return game, though they might want to avoid getting another punt blocked.

-Miami has a fast defense, but perhaps an overly aggressive defense. Virginia Tech had success using misdirection plays, so look for OU to do the same.

-And of course, keep an eye on Sam Bradford. If he plays, that will be a big boost for the Sooners, even though Jones has played admirably in his place. Nonetheless, it will be a bit much to expect Bradford to return to form his very first game.

Useless Prediction

Before Miami got walloped by Virginia Tech, I was thinking that the Sooners might be in trouble. Now that Miami's O-line was exposed as the weak link it was thought to be in the beginning of the season, I'm not so sure. The game is at Coral Gables, which helps Miami a lot, but while I can excuse a poor passing day on the rain, I really can't excuse poor O-line play the same way. I like Miami's big receivers against Oklahoma's secondary, but that won't matter much if Jacory Harris can't get a clean look downfield. Harris, at the least, is a somewhat mobile quarterback, but he's not (pre-injury) Robert Griffin or anything.

In addition, the way Virginia Tech dominated the line of scrimmage on offense is concerning. Oklahoma does not have an elite offensive line, but if they have any sort of success on the ground, their more balanced offense can potentially do much more damage than the Hokies did. If Sam Bradford is back, he will still make use of Oklahoma's relatively average group of receivers and move on down the field.

Prediction time: I expect Miami's offensive and defensive lines to play much better, but their O-line will still not be good enough to keep Oklahoma's D-line out of the backfield on crucial plays. Due to this, Oklahoma will generate some turnovers, and they will have enough success running the football to keep the heat off of Bradford (assuming he plays) and put points on the board. Miami will have a few big plays to keep pace, but ultimately, Oklahoma will wear them down. Oklahoma wins a big road game, 31-21.

I obviously would not mind one bit if Miami proves me wrong :).

Poll

Who do you think will win between Oklahoma and Miami?

Oklahoma Sooners

461 votes

Miami Hurricanes

354 votes

815 votes | Poll has closed

SB Nation Big 12 Roundtable - The Hot Tub Goes Cold

Husker Mike — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 11:01:00 -0000

More photos » by Nati Harnik - AP

Larry Asante races to the house on only one ankle. This play ended his evening. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik)

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Another week, another Big 12 Roundtable by the Big XII bloggers in the SB Nation blog network. Our host this week is Rock M Nation.

This week's questions revolve around Robert Griffin and Nebraska's perceived national weaknesses.

Absolutely! Certainly that Halloween date with Baylor in Waco looks a lot less scary now that Griffin is sidelined. He caught my attention last season as the real deal both running and throwing. But the downside of Griffin's injury is that an up-and-coming star is off the table, and that hurts the conference's national reputation this season and next. Baylor might have been able to fight for a bowl game slot, and a bowl eligible Baylor adds to the Big XII's resume by pointing out the depth of the conference. It also hurts going into next season since there won't be another season of Griffin highlights for the media to reflect on in the offseason.

Play the role of Mythbusters for us. If you could dispel one national perception of your team, what would it be?

At first, I struggled with this question. Nobody's really talking about Nebraska, and then I realized it: that's the myth. Nebraska is ranked 23rd in the AP rankings this week, and many voters aren't even ranking the Huskers. Dave Matter of the Columbia Tribune is one, saying that he doesn't want to reward "three home wins over Sun Belt teams." I'm not picking on Matter individually, because I'm sure that his opinion is shared by voters nationwide. But then he and the rest of the voters rank Virginia Tech at sixth nationally, you have to wonder what they are thinking about that 16-15 score. Certainly Matter gives the indication that by voting Miami twelfth, it's better to lose by 24 than one point. If that's not the point and it's really a vote against the playing less-than-stellar competition in the non-conference portion of the schedule, then how does he justify Florida at #1 (Charleston Southern and Troy) or Texas at #2 (Louisiana-Monroe, Wyoming, and UTEP)? Heck, he even ignored his home town Tigers schedule (Illinois, Bowling Green, Furman, and Nevada who have combined to defeat one Bowl Subdivision foe).

In the end, this is a temporary issue. Once Nebraska begins playing conference games, the Sun Belt championship will be forgotten. If Nebraska plays against Missouri and Texas Tech like they did against Virginia Tech, the Huskers will be taking a fast elevator ride up the rankings in October.

Give us the name of one player on each side of the ball on your team that everyone else in the conference may not know about or fully appreciate.

On defense, it would be cornerback Prince Amukamara. He's third on the team in tackles, and is stout on both pass defense and on run support. And when he comes on the blitz, look out. On offense, it's Curenski Gilleylen. He's the deep threat who's averaging nearly 32 yards a catch. Last year, he had the dropsies. This year, he's made some great catches on some huge gainers. Worry too much about the short stuff, and Gilleylen will beat you deep.

OU vs. Da U: Who ya' got?

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh-klahoma where the Wind gets stopped on the Plains! (Sing that line like you are Gordon Macrae... and yes, I know this game is in south Florida.) I'm not impressed with much of the ACC outside of Virginia Tech at this point, and I think the talk about "Miami is back" will be completely finished this weekend.

Give us your Offensive Player of the Week, Defensive Player of the Week, and Storyline of the Week for last week.

Offensive player of the week is Danario Alexander. Looks like he's finally healthy from that knee injury, and he had some absolutely sick catches to keep Missouri alive against Nevada. Defensive player of the week, well, is tough to come up with. The league office named Earl Thomas of Texas, and that's probably as good of a choice as I could find. Thought about nominating Larry Asante for his 74 yard interception return, then injuring himself on the touchdown return.

Power Poll! Rank the teams 1-12 based on who would win on a neutral field.

No change from last week.

Texas
Oklahoma
Nebraska
Oklahoma State
Kansas
Missouri
Texas A&M
Texas Tech
Baylor
Iowa State
Kansas State
Colorado

Off-Week Injury Report

40AS — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 03:00:16 -0000

More photos » by Rod Aydelotte - AP

Once again, the Longhorns count their blessings as there but for the grace of God go we...

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Another high-profile Big XII quarterback went down this week, with Baylor star and PB's favorite non-Texas player Robert Griffin tearing his ACL. We feel terrible for both Griffin and the Baylor fans, who entered the season with higher-than-usual expectations largely due to Griffin's proven prowess. Here's to a quick recovery for the young man.

Thankfully, there is again a dearth of news on the burnt orange injury front as the Longhorns remain, on the whole, relatively healthy. (We knocked on wood as soon as that sentence went down, we promise). Christian Scott and Brandon Collins remain out for their academic issues, though at least we got a little bit of good news on that front before the Tech game.

No one is listed as "out" right now for the Colorado game. Fozzy Whittaker is still questionable with his knee issues, although honestly his chances of busting into the backfield playing time mix even if healthy get bleaker and bleaker with each Tre Newton carry. Mason Walters is also listed as questionable as of now.

That's it, and hopefully the 'Horns can rest and stay healthy during the off week.

[Update]: Both of the services are reporting that freshman defensive back Eryon Barnett will miss the rest of the season after injuring his shoulder. Some tough luck for Barnett, who tore his ACL last fall and worked hard to get ready for the season. --GoBR--